Hocus Pocus
by Azurela
Summary: His brother's stupid grin widened on his stupid face. "Are you ready for a night in the haunted mansion?" Axel snorted. It had been months since he'd been roped into this trip and Reno would not shut up about it. "Halloween… haunted mansions. What a bunch of hocus pocus."
1. Chapter 1

A/n: Inspiration from the movie: Hocus Pocus cos it was always a favorite of mine (btw Sarah was my favorite witch) (:

Hi~ I'm alive, I've been a bit busy though. I didn't think I was going to get to this but I needed to vent the other day and yaaay it's Halloween! So… in the spirit of spooky-season, here you go. You can let me know if you like the idea and maybe I'll add more based on interest? Idunno yet. I'm kinda having fun with it (:

Gonna rate this M for language and other things.

 **Hocus Pocus**

 _His brother's stupid grin widened on his stupid face. "Are you ready for a night in the haunted mansion?"_

 _Axel snorted. It had been months since he'd been roped into this trip and Reno would not shut up about it. "Halloween… haunted mansions. What a bunch of hocus pocus."_

xXx

Axel stared out his window blankly, grimacing every now and then as he watched the scenery fly by, sighing dramatically. This was _so boring_. B-o-r-i-n-g. With a capital B. And he was resenting every minute of it. His body jolted back and forth as his brother Reno's 1987 black Ford truck hit potholes and jerked violently; he really needed to fix his strut mounts. Axel was sure that it didn't help that they were on some abandoned, washed out, dirt road on their way to some abandoned mansion on the fringes of Twilight Town in the absolute middle of _nowhere_. Did he forget to mention how boring this was? Well, at _least_ it was the last stop on their _boring_ trip. Axel couldn't wait to go home. His left eye twitched when they hit a particularly bad spot.

"Jesus Christ, would you be careful!?" He snapped, sneering at his older brother coldly. Reno grinned back and hit another, this time on purpose. Green eyes narrowed. " _Asshole_ ," he snarled. The grinning idiot laughed back.

Reno was all about Halloween, much to Axel's chagrin. He'd been looking for good haunts at somewhere called Twilight Town, some obscure place that Axel had never even heard of, and thought it was thrilling to spend the night in abandoned 'haunted' places. He was the exact opposite of Axel, who only liked the idea of Halloween for the college parties he'd been promised he'd get to enjoy this year. Oh and the free alcohol. _Which had been ruined by the way_. By Reno.

Naturally, when Reno had begged Axel to go with him for a week long 'adventure' leading up to Halloween, convinced he was going to make him a believer, he had been met with skepticism and fair amount of resistance. Not one to give up when it came to converting those who scoffed at the supernatural, Reno had persisted none-the-less, promising him a good time, and so without fully realizing what he was in for, Axel had reluctantly agreed to some 'brotherly bonding' as Reno had promised it would be, knowing it would get his little brother to cave.

Axel, of course, didn't believe in any of it and had spent the better part of the trip angry about being wherever they were and disproving any of these places were haunted. That they were merely hoaxes, out of spite, much to Reno's displeasure. They had just come from the Seven Wonders of Twilight Town. It had been as equally lame as the rest of the trip, to Axel. Just some cheap tricks that had the tourists believing in the supernatural. Axel didn't expect this to be any different and had taken to muttering to himself irritably when he'd realized that they had no cell phone reception out here.

They drove by some old buildings, old parts of the town that had been forgotten to time. The town had been moved for some reason or another and there was a wall, as well as forest isolating the area, making it extremely hard to access. Axel had initially been excited about this. Until it hadn't stopped Reno from exploring poorly maintained dirt roads that were overgrown with weeds. The locals had promised they would get them to the old town, after all.

Bright green eyes wandered across the ghost town that they'd found. Reno had driven past an old cemetery on the way in with an old church that was collapsing in on itself. The abandoned houses and buildings were in a similar state. Overlooking it all, at the top of a winding hill was a massive building that also had fallen into disrepair. Reno's pride and joy of their trip: the 'phantom mansion'.

Axel scoffed at the decrepit building.

Apparently, the only people that came out here anymore were either thrill-seekers or believers in the paranormal, or both. People only came out here at their own risk and the brothers had heard plenty of stories about travelers that had never come back after venturing out here, when they'd been in Twilight Town. Unfortunately for Axel, he was neither a thrill-seeker nor a believer, but the idea had left Reno horribly excited.

Axel glowered at his older brother, despising every moment of this trip and kept reminding himself that in just a few days, everything would be normal again. He'd go back to his university in Hollow Bastion, Reno would go back to Radiant Garden, or preferably even _further_ away from Axel until the next holiday, Christmas, and they would never speak of going on haunted thrill-seeking adventures again.

Finally, they reached the end of the road and the truck came to a stop in front of gates. The lock had been broken and the doors creaked, swaying eerily, almost as if they were inviting them in. Reno smirked at him and his sulking as they got out of the truck, and Axel shivered in the autumn wind, his feet crunching against the gravel. He lowered the tail-gate and rummaged for a minute, pulling out his bag with his gear, slipping it onto his shoulders. Reno leant back against his door, lighting a cigarette and gave his brother a satisfied smirk, triumphant that they'd reached the mansion on schedule.

"Oh what _now_?" The younger of the two grumbled while he gathered the rest of his things. His brother's stupid grin widened on his stupid face.

"Are you ready for a night in the haunted mansion?"

Axel snorted. It had been months since he'd been roped into this trip and Reno would _not_ shut up about it. "Halloween… haunted mansions. _What_ a bunch of hocus pocus." The elder red-head grinned, inclining his head toward the place.

"Y'kno, Axe, they say there's a witch that was hung from that oak tree, right over there, three hundred years ago tomorrow. Legend says: on all Hallows eve, when the barrier between the living and the dead is at its weakest and when the moon is full and there isn't a cloud in the sky, he'll come back to exact his revenge on the descendants of those who had him killed," Reno said with a grin. Axel rolled his eyes. Every single place on this stupid trip had had a similar story that his brother had enlightened him with.

"Yeah right. Stop trying to scare me." Reno chuckled, shaking his head nonchalantly, walking towards him. A lanky arm wrapped around his shoulder lazily.

"All he needs is a virgin to bring him back." Reno's smirk widened and he leered at Axel. "Makes me glad I'm not you, yo'." Axel's face flamed and he shrugged his brother's arm off.

"Shut up!" Reno was laughing at his expense and Axel scoffed back. "It's probably a hoax, just like the rest of it." His brother smiled impishly.

"Nah, this' my ace in the hole, Axe. That's why I brought you here," he said, grinning. "You're going to be a believer after this, for sure." Axel huffed and shrugged him off to go look for a good place to set up for the night. He just wanted to get this over with.

"Whatever."

Reno gathered his things. His eyes were alight with mischief and impish delight as he watched his brother pout. He rummaged through his belongings, obviously looking for his research. He found what he was looking for, with a soft 'aha', making Axel sigh. Every single place they went to, Reno made a big deal out of the legend behind it.

"Do we have to do this?" He complained. Reno laughed around his cigarette.

"What's the matter bro? Afraid I'm right?" He snickered. Axel exhaled heavily in annoyance.

"Absolutely not," he snapped back, "but I _am_ tired and want to go to bed. The sooner, the better." Reno rolled his eyes.

"Seriously Axe, it's not even dark, what gives?" Axel gave him a faux smile.

"It's been a long week. The sooner I go to sleep, the sooner I can go home," he replied with sing-song enthusiasm. Reno snickered, tugging on his backpack and clapping him on the back.

"You're such a wet blanket. Lighten up will ya?" he asked. Axel muttered under his breath. "C'mon, it's our last night. Have some fun with me."

" _Fine_ , but after this I'm going to sleep," the younger red-head muttered grumpily. Reno visibly brightened.

"Great!" Axel quirked a brow at him, but rather than discourage Reno, it did the opposite. "Let's check out the tree the witch was hung under," he said excitedly. Axel scrunched his nose at him in disgust then sighed. He knew there was no talking his brother out of something like this. Shaking his head, he trailed behind, craning his neck as he observed the tree.

It looked innocent enough, as far as trees went. He certainly wouldn't have expected such a horrible thing to have happened, here. The thought made him cringe. Some poor innocent youth had probably been falsely accused and hung for a crime he hadn't committed. Man, people sucked. Especially when they got paranoid. He blinked, realizing that Reno was shifting through his papers about the legend of the 'phantom mansion'. Curiously he let his gaze wander toward the building in question. It certainly didn't look like people never made it out here, if the graffiti was any indication. He rolled his eyes when Reno began to speak.

"Yo, Roxas, are you still here? Can you give us a sign?" Axel shook his head at his brother's efforts to conjure up the 'witch's ghost', aware that he wasn't about to stop any time soon. "We mean you no harm," he promised, grinning at Axel impishly. "There's even a cute virgin here for you!" he teased, making his brother glower at him. Reno laughed outlandishly at his brother's expression.

"That's it, I'm done with this," he muttered, shoving Reno away from him and turning on his heel. An arm swung around his shoulders, stopping him short.

"Awe c'mon Axe, I didn't mean it like that! I was just kidding!" Green eyes sparkled dangerously as he glowered at his brother. If looks could kill, Reno would have combusted by now. "Besides, it's not like you'd mind if he came onto you," he said with an impish grin. Axel stared at him horrified. "Blondie was supposed to be pretty hot. Legend says he could seduce anyone with just one look. Just your type, yo. I bet you'd like him," he said with a wink.

"How the fuck would you know if I'm even gay or not?!" Axel asked, his voice involuntarily rising, to his complete horror. Reno just grinned like a satisfied cat.

"I'm your brother, I know all your dirty secrets, yo," he tittered. Axel stared at him speechlessly. "C'mon, let's go check out the mansion!"

xXx


	2. Chapter 2

xXx

Contrary to Axel's plans to be asleep by now, he was currently staring into flames, and intently ignoring his brother's attempts to get him to talk to 'Roxas'. He scoffed into the amber tendrils and sighed, twirling his zippo across his knuckles in a vain attempt to make the time pass more quickly, absolutely bored out of his mind. Was this place a hoax? In Axel's opinion: absolutely. Without a doubt. He couldn't stop the scowl that came across his face and supposed that at this point it was what he should expect. He exhaled heavily and glared darkly at the building before him, which was the reason why they had come, but kept his opinions to himself. He had strong ones. Several in fact, but they could wait for a better time. His chances for going home would be even more minimal if he didn't.

When they had explored the old mansion and set up for the night, it had been, for the most part, everything Axel had expected. It was a hangout for several, ah, 'adventurous types'. In fact, it looked like it had hosted several parties. Axel was almost sorry he'd missed them. Almost. Beer cans and graffiti had littered the place and it was rundown, with broken furniture and water-damaged ceilings. Gross, dirty, old. It had probably been beautiful once, but now it was just vandalized and falling apart. Axel wanted to set it on fire. At least then, it would be beautiful again. That and, Reno's face would be absolutely priceless, he thought, smirking maliciously.

The autumn wind picked up, chilling him to his core and making embers swirl up into the air. He pulled his knees to his chest hugging his lanky frame and shivering. He hated being cold. With another miserable sigh, he pulled his hood up over his head and rested his chin on his kneecaps, more than ready to get out of here. He glanced at his brother, smiling wryly at his frustration. Reno's excitement had been dampened when storm clouds had settled in and it had been consoling, at least. Axel had been quick to point out that his plotting had been ruined. Reno had insisted that they stay, nonetheless. There was a rumble of thunder and the younger of the red-heads grinned crookedly.

"Oh look at that, guess my virginity is safe after all," he drawled satisfactorily. Reno opened his mouth to protest and lightning cracked across the sky. Axel's lips curled into a Cheshire grin and he rolled his shoulders, "So can we go now?" He smirked at his brother's scowl.

"No way, bro. We're spending the night. Unless you're too scared to light the candle?" Green eyes rolled and he groaned miserably, dropping his head into his knees dramatically. He didn't care if it was overkill. He wanted to go home.

"But you said the kid isn't gonna come back if it's storming, so what difference would it make?" he whined childishly before grumbling under his breath about 'Roxas-fucking-Sanderson' and 'black flamed candles'. It was stupid. Idiotic. Witches didn't exist and flames didn't come in black. Axel liked playing with fire well enough to know. Yet in the bits of conversation Axel hadn't been able to drown out, his idiot brother had insisted that there had been a black flamed candle in the foyer of the mansion and that a virgin needed to light it. Axel had laughed in his face and called him, well, an idiot. He scoffed, staring into the amber flames once again, scooting a little closer to get warm.

Reno shrugged, smirking at him. "All the more reason to see if it's true. Can't hurt right?" Axel turned his sharp eyes to his brother, narrowing them and frowning deeply. "If it isn't true, I'll take you home. How about it?"

"Why can't you just do it?" he hissed. Reno gave him a meaningful look and Axel's scoff darkened. Gripping his lighter, he rose abruptly, storming toward the mansion as it started to rain. Just because he believed in waiting for the right person didn't mean the idiot should be rubbing it in his face. It made Axel furious. Being what it was, he was going to put an end to this. Right now. Reno's face lit up like it was fucking Christmas instead of Halloween and was quick to follow his lead. Axel _wished_ it was Christmas instead. Even if he was still going to be seeing Reno. Neither of them stopped until Axel reached the pedestal that was holding a leather bound book, the stupid candle next to it. He'd been fully convinced they were fake from the moment he saw them. There was no way the vandals that had trashed the place would have left them alone. Yeah. Right. Flicking the lighter open, he glared at Reno.

"After this, we're going home and you're never going to mention any of this again," he hissed, lighting the candle. Reno's grin faded, his eyes going wide. Axel's gaze snapped to the candle. He gripped his lighter so tightly that his knuckles turned white, so that he wouldn't drop it. The flame was black in the center. Obsidian, like the deepest depths of oblivion, rimmed with a thin line of amber. Axel just stared, his jaw a bit slack.

Green met stormy blue before glancing back at the flame. "Holy shit, Axe," Reno muttered, laughing breathlessly in excitement. Scoffing, the younger red-head blew on the flame to snuff it out but no matter how many times he tried, it wouldn't go out.

"What the hell?" he grumbled.

"It won't go out, not til sunset, yo. Weren't you listening to me?" Reno asked. Axel rolled his eyes.

"No, I wasn't." Reno leered at him.

"If a virgin lights the black-flame candle, it lets the witch come back, yo," he repeated in annoyance. "Black flamed candle. Made from a hanged man's fat. Resurrects the dead for a day. Ringing any bells yet?" Axel leered right back and cocked his hip, resting his hand on it. These attempts to scare him were getting pathetic. Really, who did Reno think he was fooling? This was so staged it was pitiful.

"You aren't fooling me, Reno," he said tiredly, "but the flame's black so guess I'm stuck here for the night to deal with whatever shit you have planned," he muttered irritably, running a hand through his fiery hair and tugging at it.

"Woah, I'm not trying to trick you, Axe, it's real, I swear," Reno protested, cut off when Axel raised his hand, motioning for him to stop talking.

"Just… Shut up," he said sighing and shaking his head. He walked over to their gear. Axel groaned when he did. The damned rain had stopped and the moon was peeking out from the scattering clouds. The action drew Reno's attention and the idiot laughed hysterically.

Axel already knew that it was going to be a long night.

He shot his brother a look and wordlessly unrolled his sleeping bag, laying down with a huff and pointedly ignoring his older brother. Reno didn't return the favor and Axel didn't fall asleep for a few hours because Reno would not shut up about how the witch was coming for him to steal his virginity and then his soul, _all night_ , waggling his eyebrows at him before saying goodnight.

xXx

Axel found himself tossing and turning that night. It wasn't long after falling asleep that he was brought out of a turbulent slumber, his jaw automatically clenching in irritation at this point. His sleeping bag was shifting and Axel distinctively felt someone crawling toward him. It made his skin prickle and he shivered, goosebumps adorning his flesh.

 _"Very funny, Reno."_

He sat up, scoffing into the darkness. Soon his brother's annoying face would come into view with a stupid expression plastered on it. Consequently, as thanks for disturbing his sleep, Axel would punch him in his money-maker. Hard. He'd chosen a spot by a window for this very reason and he couldn't wait to see the look on Reno's face when he socked him. He balled his fist, readying to strike, but irritated as he was, he didn't expect to have that weight, the weight of what felt like a person, straddle his hips and have no one to be there. Just blackness, dark and wispy, like smoke. Axel froze, entirely too aware, fear making his heart pound erratically. He opened his mouth but nothing came out, and jumped when the clock down the hall struck midnight. The witching hour. He groaned, dragging a hand across his face. 'The witching hour'? He was seriously letting his brother's stupid stories get to him? _Seriously?_

With a scowl, he faced off with the mysterious blackness, but by the twelfth stroke, his heart was pounding erratically. A fair face had emerged from the darkness, staring at him in the pale moonlight. Axel stared back, completely frozen and clenched his fist so hard that it trembled. There, in the moonlight was the incarnation of his wildest dreams- a blond with disheveled golden spikes and shimmering blue eyes that glimmered like starlight, a small tentative smile on his face. Green eyes roved the face hovering before his own, completely enraptured, before settling on a small, disarming smile. He was young and there was an allure about him that took Axel's breath away.

"No need to be afraid, Axel… It's just a bunch of hocus pocus…" A soft tenor voice soothed with an undertone of amusement. Axel swallowed hard at the echo of his own words and then stopped breathing when there was a gentle touch to his hand, slowly lowering it. Then, dreamy blue eyes lowered a fraction and a gentle hand smoothed back his wild hair, the blond admiring the hell-fire red color and then the young man before him. When Axel relaxed his fist, the softest touch of fingertips trailed up his the pale flesh of his arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake, and then his racing pulse, pausing to linger against his lips, wordlessly urging him to be silent. The soft touches lulled him into a false sense of security and he couldn't move. It was as if he were paralyzed… or under a spell… cast by blue, blue eyes that were devouring him.

Slowly, those fingers traced the upper and then lower lip, teasing slightly by pressing forward, before travelling to his pale cheek, making the red-head shudder. Green eyes were blown wide at the gentle caresses and he found himself blinking rapidly and shook his head, trying dispel what he was seeing. He needed to wake up. Reno had poisoned his mind and now he was dreaming about a stupid ghost!

The beautiful boy on his lap laughed gently as if in response and Axel was enraptured by the sound. Then, the blond lent close, shushing him- the sound was an exhalation softer than a whisper, and with a small, endearing smile, touched their lips together. Axel cried out in alarm, flailing helplessly in the blankets he'd been cocooned in, against this stranger. The smaller body pressed down hard, forcing him into submission and those insistent lips cradled his perfectly. Hands buried themselves into his hair making him gasp. Then, his mouth was taken hungrily and is brain turned to mush for a moment or two as the kiss- his first kiss- left him weak everywhere. His body on the other hand, responded well. Fire, like he'd never felt before raged through him, burning him to the core, filling him with raw, lust powered want. His breathing became heavy and ragged and he groaned pleasurably into the perfect stranger's mouth. His hands were shaking, clenching and then unclenching as he reached for him. That is, until, without warning, he was blinded by a sudden brightness. Reno's flashlight.

"Axel?! What's wrong, yo'?" The boy was gone but his phantom touches lingered. It scared the red-head shitless as he gasped for breath. However, the frantic note in his brother's voice was soothing, a balm to the terror he felt. It reminded him that he wasn't alone. He blinked, his eyes focusing. It was then that he realized that he was embarrassingly aroused.

"I-I uhm, bad dream… sorry," he croaked.

"Shit dude, you're pale. You okay?" Reno asked, concern lacing his voice. Axel's cheeks flamed and he ducked his head.

"I'm fine Reno," he muttered, scowling, bringing his knees to his chest and drawing Reno's gaze down. The older boy looked him over and smiled slyly at his aroused, disheveled appearance.

"Were you dreaming about Roxas, huh? Were you giving it up to him?" Reno's grin widened to a smirk when Axel's blush darkened. "You _were_ , you filthy whore."

"Shut the hell up Reno!"

Reno laughed, "Relax, baby brother. It's okay to fantasize. Blondie _was_ pretty hot, yo'. I bet he could make all your dreams come true," flustering Axel further.

"Just shut the hell up!" Axel growled dangerously. His brother tittered amusedly.

"It's too easy to get under your skin, dude." Axel glowered in annoyance.

"You fucking asshole, it wasn't a dream, was it? Quit trying to fuck with me," he hissed, snatching Reno's flashlight and shining it around the room, trying to rationalize the situation. There was nothing there, and it pissed Axel off. "Where is he, huh?" he hissed venomously. Reno looked genuinely confused and it made Axel's heart jolt with fear.

"Uhm, what're you talking about, Axe?"

"But…" he whispered, staring into Reno's face confusedly. His brother was frowning at him deeply.

"You alright there, little bro?" he asked slowly.

"But he was here…" he muttered under his breath.

"Ha ha, Axe, not funny, you don't have to get me back or anything," Reno laughed nervously. Axel stared at him alarmed. "Seriously, you okay?" he asked carefully. Nodding slowly, the younger red-head watched his brother cautiously.

"If I find out you were fucking with me, I'm going to kill you." Reno tilted his head at Axel. Then he smiled triumphantly.

"You're lookin' pretty spooked. If you're scared you saw a ghost, we can go, yo." Axel glared. If he admitted that Reno was right, he was never going to hear the end of it.

"Yeah right," he muttered, and trying to seem braver than he felt, he rolled over, covering himself back up.

"Sweet dreams, yo," Reno told him cheerfully, making the younger red-head scowl.

xXx

Once he was sure Reno had fallen asleep, Axel found himself in the truck, finally relaxing after locking himself inside, enjoying the silence and the peace of mind, now that he felt safer. He was just beginning to doze off when he heard a soft voice humming. An even softer touch jolted him to awareness.

" _Axel_ ," Axel's green eyes opened wide as he whirled around and he pulled his arm away as if he'd been burnt. He was rendered speechless by enchanting blue eyes and a lovely face that was impossibly close to his own. They glimmered like starlight. His heart stammered in his chest. Only a moment ago, he'd been alone.

"You're not real," he whispered in denial, shaking his head and shutting his eyes. Cold fingers pressed to his cheek, igniting that fire once again. Red brows furrowed, and he stared down at the lovely boy, breathing hard and unable to look away, caught as if in a web. He was _not_ seeing a fucking ghost. Those blue, blue eyes were pulling him in, and it was as if his very soul was being drawn closer to the blond. Axel couldn't look away, much less think.

Soft laughter skipped around him. "You're trembling, Axel…" the boy gave him a wry smile. When Axel stared at him speechlessly, the boy winked. "If you keep staring at me like that… I just might cast a spell on you..." Axel's cheeks colored and he swallowed hard.

He licked his impossibly dry lips. "Roxas…?" he ventured, and the blond's smile became sly, his eyelids lowering.

"Fucking-Sanderson?" He replied, laughing richly. Axel's mind was absolutely racing. He couldn't look away from the boy.

"I..." He was at a loss for words and the boy's smile stretched into a grin. "I'm not so sure you haven't," he whispered back, swallowing when the blond watched him archly.

"Oh no, not _yet_." The lithe man's breath caught when a silky hand trailed up his thigh, his body heating dangerously wherever it touched. The promise in those words held his heart like a vise and the attraction that he felt only intensified. Fingers curled under his chin, raising it. He was breathing hard, powerless to stop it. "But there is much that needs to be done in such a short time... and so if you disobey me, I'll put a spell on you, so strong, that you'll be gone," he breathed.

"What do you want?" Axel whispered. Blue eyes glimmered with delight.

"Revenge of course, and you're going to help me. Complete my spell and bring me back," he breathed, leaning close. " _You won't stop the things I do, Axel. You're_ _mine_." Axel's eyelids lowered, his pupils dilating, and that fire was sweeping through him at the words.

"I'm yours?" he whispered back, losing himself.

" _Yes_ , _Axel_ ," the blond murmured, his tone indicating his pleasure at the very idea. Dreamy green eyes became foggy as they fluttered shut and the man moaned, drowning pleasure at those words. Their magic coursed through him and he spoke without thinking.

" _Make_ me yours," he groaned helplessly, mindlessly. A gentle finger pressed to his lips before rubbing sensually. The blond smiled in wry amusement, placing his thumbs on the red-head's cheeks, one beneath each emerald eye.

"Burn it, burn it all. Burn _them_ all, and I will," he promised, and when Axel opened his eyes, the boy was gone. Just as he blinked in confusion about what the boy had meant, fire raged through him. He gasped wordlessly, clutching at his chest. It felt like he was burning from the inside out. It was intense, too intense. His body began convulsing and his eyes rolled to the black of his head, just before he fell into unconsciousness, followed by those blue, blue eyes.

xXx


End file.
